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Eglantine LeSombre
The proprietress of the Hotel Œillet, perhaps the ritziest locale in the Low City. 'History' Eglantine LeSombre was born into a family as close to middle class as the ranked city of Galimond would allow, from a family formerly among the nobility. As a young girl, her sorcery became evident and she was made into something of an outcast. Over the years, she grew in power and in beauty, though she was still treated as something of a misfit and even a freak. Her first real friend was a young woman who was travelling the continent after having graduated from the Academia Sophia in Arcos, a kind, warm and beautiful young woman of aristocratic heritage named Oleandra. Oleandra and Eglantine became the best of friends, and fought together when the Witch King of Arcos descended upon Galimond with an eye to conquering the pwerful city. Along with Oleandra's beloved husband, Saturne LeBlanc, the trio helped protect the city and its people. Oleandra, in particular, was a hero. But Saturne was a fool, and Eglantine was desperately lonely. She gave into his charms, and soon parted company from the couple when the results of her moment of weakness became evident to her a month later. She declined the swamp witch's offer to end the pregnancy, instead sequestering herself and turning the child over to the priestess of Mystara to place with a family equipped to care for her. Eventually, the war ended, and the city slowly healed from the famine and disease and lingering magical fallout it brought. Unfortunately, Saturne was one of many lost in the battle, and Eglantine couldn't bring herself to tell Oleandra the truth, settling in the Low City, where she tried to build a life for herself. 'Lucian' The Hotel Œillet became the only real luxury in the Low City, particularly after Oleandra was put into power as regent, and the socioeconomic divide between the the High and Low City grew wider. It offered not only the best food and lodgings a Low City resident could afford, a safe place where ladies (and gentlemen) of negotiable virtue could conduct business without harassment, and a place where people could get a glimpse of culture they might not otherwise be able to see. It wasn't only frequented by denizens of the Low City, but also by the nobility of the High City, looking for a place to hide and escape for an evening. One such visitor was a young noble scion named Sigfried Wagner, heir to the Wagner and DuMer families. Never knowing true love and acceptance by his family for many reasons, he often snuck into the Low City to experience something new where he wouldn't be judged. He fell in love with the music and dance on display at the Hotel Œillet, and when he finally had had enough to leave his family behind, he sought out employment with the Hotel as a performer, under a new name for his new life: Lucian Gradior. Eglantine felt deep sympathy for the young man and welcomed him into the family of the Hotel staff and the performers there. As time went on, she came to care for him as a son. He became a student not only of dance, but also of sorcery. Though the origin of his power was different from his own, she did her best to help him understand how use his magic to their fullest. When he became entangled with the four strangers who blew into the city and seemed determined to upend the social order Oleandra had imposed, she worried only for his safety, knowing her old friend had changed so much over the years, and not wanting to lose the boy she loved as her own child. 'The Shattering' When Lucian and his newfound friends put an end to the iron grasp Oleandra held over the city, she arrived at the Palais, knowing something had happened. She explained to Lucian and his allies her past with Oleandra, and with Saturne. She agreed to help Oleandra, now released from the force which had changed her so greatly, recover from the shattering of her power, assisted by the swamp witch, Auntie Edith, and by Oleandra's handmaiden, Elaine. There was something about Elaine, orphaned at a young age and taken in by Oleandra, which Eglantine felt drawn to. It became clear, soon, that they were tied together by something other than their respective connection to Oleandra. Category:Characters Category:NPCs